10 Days of Celebration in the Zany World of the Seven Kingdoms! Plus: Black Friday audiobook specials! For ages 9 to 12. See the whole
Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander is an epic series and a snapshot of the creative process.
We make art and seek discoveries in the world around us out of a desire to be moved out of ourselves and a desire to share what we are with others. A story about a friendship between very different people, like Stephen Maturin and Jack Aubrey, can be the seed of many friendships. A story is a created experience, but it’s also a question: “Can you see it?”
Beauty is as ephemeral as life. We need our whole lives to find our way through or around the obstacles that separate us.
What we make is imperfect, but we have a chance at butterflies and lightning bolts. Keep your nets open. Keep your pen moving. Capture the snowflakes.
As Captain Aubrey says: “There is not a moment to be lost.”
You can’t be a pro the first time you try something new. That’s a repeated theme in my middle grade books, but I’m still learning it! In September, I tried to hike on a famous pilgrimage route–Via Francigena. I thought it was going to work, because I got an excessively-detailed guidebook from the library, set low expectations for how far we could walk, made hotel and train reservations, and kind of expected the weather to cooperate. Because it was Italy. Read about my #PilgrimFail.
For many people, Bremerhaven was the gateway to a new life in the new world. © Laurel Decher, 2015. What did it feel like to
Book 4–The newest Kep Westguard Adventure comes out Sept 19, 2025! Book 3 Book 2 Book 1 The newest Kep Westguard adventure comes out Sept
If you’ve ever thought about publishing a children’s book, you will probably be interested in this new project from the gracious and creative and super smart publisher, Darcy Pattison. She’s finally bringing us the long-promised book full of strategies and insights, a.k.a. secrets for success. I can’t wait to “back” this project on “Kickstarter”. (If that’s Greek to you, don’t worry, read this post 🙂
An Exciting New Project For Young Readers We’re working on an exciting new project (on Kickstarter–more about that in a moment)! Shiny 2nd editions are
Making a tiny book come out correctly is a bit tricky! Here’s how I finally got the pages to print in the right order for the first book in my series for ages 9 to 12. If you are interested in a bit of amateur bookbinding, you might enjoy the challenge.
I love living in Germany and sometimes I really need to find a book in English. I’ve decided to make a list of my favorite
My brother was (and is!) excellent at finding his way around. Like Nero, I had to work at learning how to find my way. My
Shy or quiet kids can get easily overlooked if they don’t learn public speaking skills. #nobodyhearsyou If this topic comes up in your house or class, you might enjoy a zany fairy tale adventure about what can go wrong . . . and right. . . when a quiet inventor princess learns to speak up! For ages 9 to 12, but the whole family can enjoy it.
This is an epic train journey that is slowly coming down the tracks to you . . . When you can’t keep up with all